☀ Mayhem in the Air: Elements of Untethered Realms [2] - Untethered Realms

Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Mayhem in the Air, a Speculative Fiction by various Untethered Realms authors (22 October 2015, Untethered Realms, 198 pages).

This is the second book in the Elements of Untethered Realms series.

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and the exclusive excerpt below. Read an excerpt from The Silent Wind by Christine Rains with Amazon Look Inside.

Author Untethered Realms will be awarding a $40 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.   Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other exclusive excerpts (☀).

Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Authors | Giveaway & Tour Stops

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Synopsis

From Amazon bestselling and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Mayhem in the Air, a supernatural anthology of ten stories of horror, the fantastic, the future, and macabre, all embracing the element of air.

Meet hot robots, hungry winds and the goddess of chaos. Explore alien planets, purgatorial realms, and a shocking place where people bury the living with their dead.

Mayhem in the Air is the second, long-awaited story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

“A Strange Penitence” by Catherine Stine
A young artist pays a supernatural price when a drawing trip to North Carolina turns deadly.

“Mass Transit” by Graeme Ing
For Emily, mind over matter is not just a saying, but the gateway to her career among the largest starships built by man.

“A Tangled Weave” by River Fairchild
A TimePulse rips through the Great Tapestry of Life, leaving Earth’s history in a jumble, and Death and Chronos in a race to save the world yet again.

“Corrosive” by M. Pax
In a world ruined by pollutants, Bex sets off to establish a new homestead with her dreamy robotic man. Already farming her plot of land is another dreamy man with radical ideas, presenting new challenges as corrosive as the air.

“Saving Scrooge: A Short Story Prequel to the Saving Marley Series” by Gwen Gardner
Marley is sent from purgatory to save the soul of his old friend. Can he save his own in the bargain?

“The Silent Wind” by Christine Rains
A team of specialists must dispel a mysterious storm on an alien planet to prepare it for colonization. One by one the crew disappears until only a seasoned soldier remains. How can he battle a hungry wind that makes no noise?

“Paper Lanterns” by Cherie Reich
In order to keep his promise to his daughter, Mayor Alfred Merry must betray the woman he loves.

“Chaos. Hope. Love.” by Misha Gerrick 
Although Eris is the goddess of chaos, her life has fallen into a nice and comfortable routine. Until someone from her past shows up in her bookstore.

“Cardinal Sin” by Julie Flanders
Beleaguered hospital workers bury the living with the dead in the midst of a tuberculosis epidemic and a seething spirit vows vengeance from the skies.

“The Ark” by Cathrina Constantine
Plagued with memory flashes of fiery explosions and running for her life, Fallon emerges from a drugged stupor to find herself in an airborne Ark, and the earth below is a drowning wasteland.

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Teaser: Excerpt

CHAOS. HOPE. LOVE.

By Misha Gerricke

     “Stupid Homer,” I muttered and knocked it down from its perch while strolling past. Customers enjoyed moving books about, arranging the ones they liked on top so they would draw other customers’ attention.
     Why anyone liked that story went above my understanding. It was ridiculous. Of all the ancient texts to survive this long, it had to be the Iliad that lasted. Shaking my head in disgust, I turned the open/closed sign around and unlocked the door.
     It was quite chilly, so I went back in and stoked a fire to life. I glanced toward the Iliad, then picked it up from the floor. Just as I was about to toss it into the fire, Betty walked in.
     A dear old bird. She was somewhere close to eighty, but didn’t look a day over sixty. And as sharp as could be. Her eyes peered through her glasses at the book in my hand. “What are you doing?”
     “Er…” I shrugged and tossed it aside. Even now, two years after I bought this place, I still didn’t have a believable explanation for my aversion to Homer. Hard to explain it reminded me of that one time I started the Trojan War. “Nothing. Really.”
     Betty’s eyes sparkled. “You should read it.”
     Pass. “I’ll get to it one day.”
     “Young people,” Betty grumbled and sauntered off in search of something to read.
     “Mortals,” I muttered under my breath. Make ’em a few decades older than other people and they think they know everything.
     The bell over the door rang. A rich, warm sound, but a chill shot up my spine. I stilled. Deep inside me, a sort of music played. I could hear it when no mortal could. I felt it into the depths of my soul.
     The music was a sign of someone with Olympian blood nearby, and each one’s was unique. This person’s heartsong felt strange. Grave, but happy at the same time. Yet not discordant, unlike mine. I didn’t recognize this heartsong, but just the fact that I felt it was enough. I had my back turned to someone who could be here to take me down.

Mayhem in the Air
Available NOW for ONLY £ / $ 0.99!

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The Series: Elements of Untethered Realms

Elements of Untethered Realms series includes these four short story anthologies:

• Twisted Earths (Available)
• Mayhem in the Air (Available)
• Ghosts of Fire (Forthcoming 2016)
• Spirits in the Water (Forthcoming 2017)

Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.

Twisted Earths [1]

A collection of tales from Untethered Realms, a group of speculative fiction authors. The stories are as varied and rich as the types of soil on this and other planets--sandy loam, clay, knotted with roots and vines, dreaded paths through unexplored planets, and in enchanted forests, lit by candlelight and two moons.

Patchworker 2.0 by M. Pax
Specialists with digital interfaces are the only ones who can distinguish between biological energy and mechanical pulses, and "patch" AIs, which hold the world together. Patchworker Evalyn Shore meets up with an AI with deadly intent.

Lady Death by Cherie Reich
Umbria, a beautiful and powerful swordsmith, is given an impossible task by her brother Leon when he asks, "You are the assassin. Are you scared to destroy Death when you are up to your elbows in it?"

In The Know by Angela Brown
Jacob, a loyal family man is struggling to stay out of debt when he's hired to report on big plans for a future Detroit. He's given a mysterious manila envelope with instructions to "open it alone" or pay the price. With switchback twists you won't see coming, a debt of a much steeper cost is what he just might end up paying for his involvement.

The Day of The Flying Dogs by Catherine Stine
A sinister tale of brilliant, troubled NYC high-school student, Theo. He experiences a day at Coney Island that includes drugs, delusions, a lonely capybara, Nathan's hotdogs and a mind-bending lesson in our very twisted universe.

The Ole Saint by Christine Rains
A story at once sweet, horrific and heartrending. Ezra longs to fit in and have boys stop calling him witch and freak, yet his unique supernatural skill sets him apart, and the last gift from The Ole Saint cinches the deal.

The Malachite Mine by Graeme Ing
A gripping, scream-inducing ride. Whatever was Mary thinking when she accepted her husband's gift of a most terrifying twenty-first birthday celebration in an abandoned Russian mine?

A Grand Purpose by River Fairchild
Rosaya and her cousin, Drianna are soon to be married off, but Rosaya is unhappy with her assigned match. She's much more intoxicated by the older Firrandor, a wizard she hardly knows. When Rosaya is accused of killing an oracle boy, all bets are off, not only for her love, but her freedom.

Ghostly Guardian by Gwen Gardner
Indigo and her rib-tickling ghost-busters must travel to a dangerous pirate-laden past in order to unearth a curmudgeonly eighteenth century spirit that is plaguing the Blind Badger Pub.

Red Earth and White Light by Misha Gerrick
Emily, a young ghost bride has long haunted a house. She longs to cross over into the afterlife, but she's trapped in memories of lilies and betrayal.

[Published 14 October 2014, 160 pages]

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About the Authors

River Fairchild is somewhat odd, brandishes a dry sense of humor, owned by several cats.  Lives in a fantasy world.  A fabricator of magic. Makes stuff up and spins tales about it.  Believes in Faerie crossings and never staying in one place for very long.  Speculative Fiction wordsmith. The secret to her stories?  Spread lies, blend in truths, add a pinch of snark and a dash of tears.  Escape into her world.  She left the porch light on so you can find your way down the rabbit hole.

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Gwen Gardner is a native Californian living in sunny San Diego, where her love of reading and writing led to a BA in English literature.  Life is now complete with her husband, two dogs and a daily call from her daughter.

Since ghosts feature prominently in her young adult Indigo Eady Paranormal “Cozy” Mystery series, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face—but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does.

Gwen adores travel and experiencing the cultures and foods of different countries.  She is always up for an adventure and anything involving chocolate—not necessarily in that order.

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Misha Gerrick lives in the scenic Western Cape, South Africa, where she's currently working on some more books.

Her Epic Fantasy Series, The War of Six Crowns, is out now.

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Graeme Ing engineers original fantasy worlds, both YA and adult, but hang around, and you’ll likely read tales of romance, sci-fi, paranormal, cyberpunk, steampunk or any blend of the above.

Born in England in 1965, Graeme moved to San Diego, California in 1996 and lives there still.

His career as a software engineer and development manager spans thirty years, mostly in the computer games industry.  He is also an armchair mountaineer, astronomer, mapmaker, pilot and general geek.  He and his wife, Tamara, share their house with more cats than he can count.

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M. Pax is author of the space adventure series The Backworlds and the contemporary science fiction series The Rifters, plus other novels and short stories.

Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration.

She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers as a star guide, has a cat with a crush on Mr. Spock, and is slightly obsessed with Jane Austen.

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom.  She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy player.

She has one novel and several novellas and short stories published. Her paranormal romance series, The 13th Floor, has been met with rave reviews.

Her newest geeky romances were released by Ellora’s Cave early 2015

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Cherie Reich has more books than she can ever read and more ideas than she can ever write, but that doesn’t stop this bookworm from trying, even if it means trying to curb her TV addiction.

She is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia.

Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the paranormal horror collection Once upon a Nightmare and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel.  She is a member of the Virginia Writers Club, Valley Writers, and Untethered Realms.

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Catherine Stine’s fiction spans the range from contemporary to dark fantasy to sci-fi.  Her futuristic companion thrillers Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire are Amazon bestsellers and indie award-winners.  Dorianna, her YA paranormal won Best Horror Novel in the Kindle Hub Awards.

Her work is included in the boxed sets Future Tense and Secret Worlds as well as in the Untethered Realms anthologies Twisted Earths, Mayhem in the Air and Fantasy Uprising.  In addition, Catherine writes new adult fiction as Kitsy Clare.  She suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her when she was a child.  She teaches creative writing workshops and is a member of SFWA, RWA and SCBWI.

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Julie Flanders is a librarian by day and a writer all the rest of the time. Julie is also a television show addict with a particular fondness for Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead and a slightly obsessive sports fan who cheers for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cincinnati Reds. She is an animal lover and a rescue advocate who shares her home with her rescued dog and cat.

Julie's published novels include the paranormal thriller Polar Night and its sequel Polar Day and the historical ghost story The Ghosts of Aquinnah. All are available from Ink Smith Publishing. She is also the author of the novella The Turnagain Arm, a prequel to both Polar Night and Polar Day.

Julie is a proud member of the speculative fiction writing group Untethered Realms. Meet the rest of the group and explore their books at untetheredrealms.blogspot.com/. She is also a member of the Horror Writers Association and of Sisters in Crime.

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Cathrina Constantine resides in Western New York with her husband, five children, two Labrador Retrievers and two cats.

Author of WICKEDLY THEY COME, WICKEDLY THEY DREAM, TALLAS, and DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE

When not with my family, baking, crafting, reading, or stationed at the computer writing, you will find me walking in the backwoods with my dogs, conjuring up a new tale.

Follow Cathrina Constantine:

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Giveaway and Tour Stops

Enter to win a $40 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Remember to comment to win!
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Follow Mayhem in the Air's tour at:

Nov 2: BooksChatter
Nov 3: SolaFide Self-Publishing and Book Blog
Nov 3: Reviews by Crystal
Nov 4: Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews
Nov 5: Christine Young
Nov 5: It's Raining Books
Nov 6: The Cerebral Writer
Nov 9: Dark Treasury
Nov 10: Queen of the Night Reviews
Nov 11: Long and Short Reviews
Nov 12: Mixed Book Bag
Nov 13: Kit 'N Kabookle

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